Bubbling fluid ornamental display device



Nov. 21, 1950 A. TlSClONE 2,530,794

BUBBLING FLUID ORNAMENTAL DISPLAY DEVICE Filed July 16, 1948 24 7 ZFJg/E. 5 19" IN V EN TOR.

ANTHONY TISCIONE BY I 7 Patented Nov. 21, 1950 BUBBLING FLUID ORNAMENTAL DISPLAY DEVICE Anthony Tiscione, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 16, 1948, Serial No. 39,146

3 Claims.

of bubbles, vapors or the like will continually rise upward through the bottle under the influence of applied heat, and a holder for removably receiving the lower end of the bottle and for containing said bulb in such adjacency to the bottom of the bottle when the latter is inserted downwardly into the holder that the heat required to start bubble generation will be delivered by said bulb when energized.

According to the present invention, with a resistance element such as a, length of wire of a material of suitable resistivity to the passage of electric current therethrough employed as the heat source, an improved bubbling fluid device is provided which is characterized by very low cost of production because comprising merely a few inexpensive parts rapidly and easily assembled; and wherein at the same time the holder may be made of strikingly attractive external contour and extremely small in size.

More specifically, the present invention provides a holder including a seat at its top for detachably having inserted thereinto the lower portion of the aforesaid bottle or the like, and carrying at its bottom a base (as the word base is used in the electric light bulb art), such, for instance, as a threaded base, for being inserted into an appropriately formed socket connected to a source of electric current. Such holder, except for the resistance or heating element and except for conductive members required on the base for providing the two terminals of the latter and for connecting these terminals respectively to the resistance element at or near its opposite ends, may be wholly made of any one of various of the well-known plastics.

A feature of the invention is that the heatin element is immovably held to its appointed location in the holder, either when the holder is molded relative to said element in situ or when the holder is preparatorily molded and said element is later mounted therein.

A further feature of the invention is that in either of the above cases an exceedingly simple and practicable conductive means is provided for connecting the opposite ends of the heating e16- 2 ment and the two terminals of the base; and this despite the fact that solder cannot be used on the heating element.

A further feature of the invention, in one of the now favored forms thereof, is a very simple arrangement whereby the rate of bubbling may be predetermined nicely, otherwise than by varying the electrical action.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features'of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a side elevation showing, substantially full scale, one embodiment of the invention as now favored.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; but with Fig. 2 drawn to a scale about three times that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is also a vertical section, this taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view, showing in perspective one of the base-carried terminals, and that one of the two members of the aforesaid conductive means for joining said terminal to an end of the heating element.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section, taken through said terminal on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a bottom plan view of said terminal.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the other member of said conducting means, that is, the member for joining the other base-carried terminal to the other end of the heating element.

Fig. 9 is a top plan View of a modification characterized by the fact that two molded parts instead of one are used.

Fig. 10 is an exploded view showing said two molded parts, with the lower one thereof broken away near its bottom; this View showing said parts in vertical section where cut by the section plane I l-I 0 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of said lower molded part.

Fig. 12 illustrates further modification, this incorporating a means according to the invention for adjustment to predetermine the rate of bubbling.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, and first to Figs. 1-8, the aforesaid tubular bottle, in

one of its familiar forms, is designated l5; and the holder as a whole is marked 55.

At its top the holder l6, which has a main chamber I1, is slenderized to provide an upstanding tubular neck 18 of an internal diameter to sleeve the bottle [5 and frictionally grip the latter so as to hold the bottom of the bottle at any elevation in the chamber l! desired, as at some selected location between that shown in full lines in Fig. l and that indicated by the dot and dash delineation 45'. Thus the inner wall of the neck l8 provides a bottle seat.

Below the chamber l'l, the holder It has a depending reduced extension l9, as for carrying a thread and so for being entered as the base of the holder into an ordinary current supplying socket where that socket is a threaded one. As illustrated in the present case, the thread carried by the extension I9 is integral with a brass or other metallic shell 29, the same thus constituting, in the manner conventional in the electric light bulb art, one of the base-carried terminals. As already stated, the holder i5 is desirably molded from a suitable plastic; and the holder It may be molded relative to the shell 22 in situ, or so molded, desirably, that the extension l9 will have an external formation or formations thereon for assisting in having the shell crimped properly in place on said extension.

The heating element 2! is a coil of resistance wire lengthwisely circularly extended so as to form almost a full circle, as shown in Fig. 2; and in the embodiment of the invention now being considered, the holder l 6 is molded relative to the element 2! in situ. As will be understood, the plastic used for molding the holder should be of good dielectric quality and with a high heat resisting property. The element 2!, however, will be only partially embedded in the molded material, as shown in Figs. 2-4.

The aforesaid conductive means between the opposite ends of the resistance element 2| and the two base-carried terminals of which one is as aforesaid the shell 2% comprises two stamped metal members 22 and 23. The other basecarried terminal is in the form of a metal plug 24. The holder !5 is molded so as to have a recess 25, see Fig. 3, extended upwardly from the bottom of the extension 9; a slot 28 extending from the bottom of the chamber ll near the center thereof down to the top of the recess at a side thereof as best shown in Fig. 3; a slot 2? extending from the chamber ll near a side thereof down to about the top limit for the shell 23; and a groove 25 in downward continuation of the slot 21 and to be closed in at its outer side by said shell.

The conductive member 22, which is made of some resilient metal, as spring brass, has a serrated top 29, see Fig. 5, this carried by a somewhat longitudinally arched downwardly laterally tapering upper portion and below said portion 30 the member 22 has a shank 3| of uniform width from top to bottom. The slot 26 has a. cross-section substantially the same as that of said shank. The plug 26 is of the same width as the shank 3!, and said plug has a lower portion 32 of greater thickness than its upper portion 33, to an extent equal to the thickness of said shank, thereby to provide a shoulder 34 of the same width as the shank thickness. The recess 25 is of the same horizontal cross-section from top to bottom as the basal area (Fig. 7) of the plug 24, and the extent of upward extension of said recess is less than the height of the plug 24, to cause the bottom portion of the latter to pro--.

ject as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 when, with the serrated top 29 of the member 22 hooked in under one end of the heating element 2|, and with said member 22 inserted at its shank 3| into the slot 26, the bottom of said shank abuts the shoulder 34 of the plug 24 when said plug is fully inserted upward into the recess 25.

The parts having been thus arranged, if now the shank 3! of the member 22 be suitably secured to the plug 22, the plug will be properly locked in place, and at the same time the hook engagement between said member and the heating element 21 will be a good tight one, both mechanically and to insure maintenance of proper electrical contact between the member 22 and the heating element, due to the spring action of the arched upper portion 33 of said member 22. As here shown, the securement of the member 22 to the plug 24 is by soldering, such solder indicated at 35. To facilitate application of the solder for the purpose stated, the plug 24 has a cylindrical recess extending upwardly therein all the way from the bottom of the plug to near its top; this recess, marked 36 in Figs. 3, 6 and '7, being so positioned that its upper portion breaks through the upper portion 33 of the plug, above the plugs shoulder 34.

The conductive member 23, which also is made of some resilient metal, as spring brass, has, too, a serrated top, as at 31, see Fig. 8, this at the upper end of a somewhat longitudinally arched downwardly laterally tapering upper portion 38 of said member; and below said portion 38 the member 23 has a shank 39 of uniform width from top to bottom. The slot 2? is of a cross-section substantially the same as that of said shank. The shank 39 is very slightly crimped as indicated in Fig. 8. With the serrated top 3? of the member 23 hooked in under the heating element 2 l, at the end thereof opposite to the end thereof thus engaged by the member 22 as above described, and with the shank 39 of the member 23 forced down tight into the slot 2?, the member 23 will be properly held in place, and at the same time the hook engagement between said member and the heating element 2| will be a good tight one, both mechanically and to insure maintenance of proper electrical contact between the member 23 and said element, due to the spring action of the arched upper portion 38 of said member, while maintenance of proper electrical contact will be insured between the member 23 and the shell 29, due to the crimping of the shank portion 39 of the latter.

Referring to the modification of Figs. 9-11, the holder l 5 here shown is exactly like that of Figs. 1-8, except for the fact that said holder I6 is in two molded parts 40 and 4!, these provided with interfitting portion comprising a depending outer annular rib 49 and an upstanding annular rib M except that the mounting of the resistance element corresponding to the element 2| is effected as to be described in a moment; and except that there are two special recesses 42 and 43 in the molded part 4|. The parts of Figs. 9l1 to which are applied reference characters with single primes added correspond, respectively, to the parts of Figs. l8 to which are applied reference characters without primes added.

For simple and quick mounting of the heating element 2!, a horizontal circularly extending groove is provided, its upper portion 44 formed in the molder part and its lower portion d5 formed in the molded part 4|. These groove portions, when the rib 40'- fully vertically overlaps the rib 4|, provide the said mounting groove for the element 2|, said groove of a cross-section such as largely to enclose the element 2| laterally thereof.

The lower groove portion 45 is endless; but the upper groove portion 44 ha an interruption 4B for slightly separating the opposite ends of the element 2|. In order to expose, at each of the opposite ends of said element, a fairly large fraction of each of two of the convolutions of said element, at the bottoms of said convolutions, the aforesaid recesses 42 and 43 are provided. These recesses as they rise gradually increase in depth so as at their upper ends to break fairly deeply into the groove portion 45; in such manner that the serrated tops of the conductive members 22' and 23', with said members respectively laid in the recesses 42 and 43, may, with their shank portions inserted into, respectively, the slots 25 and 21', be snapped into their aforesaid hook engagements with the heating element 2|.

Said element 2| having been placed in the groove portion 45, and desirably the conducting member 22' and 23' having been applied as just above explained, the two parts 40 and 4| are suitably coupled, at the ribs 4|! and 4|, by reliance on a mere frictional grip, by the application of a suitable adhesive, or in any other suitable manner. The two molded parts will be so coupled that the interruption 46 of the upper groove portion 44 will be vertically above the portion 4'6 of the groove portion 45 which separates the recesses 42 and 43. Either before or after the two molded parts 40 and 4| are coupled, the securement of the lower end of the conductive member 22' to the center terminal to be carried at the base of the holder, as for instance explained in Figs. 1-8 in connection with the plug 24 to provide such terminal, may be effected.

Referring to the modification of Fig. 12, wherein the parts to which are applied reference charactors with double primes added correspond, respectively, to the parts to which are applied reference characters Without primes, the holder 7 i5" is shown as a single molded part, as in Figs. 1-8; but this merely in aid of simplifying the drawing, as such holder may be made of a plurality of molded parts, for instance as in Figs. 9-11. The holder I6" is in all respects equipped as in Figs. l-8, except that, additionally a deep well-like recess 41 is provided extending vertically downward from the chamber approximately at the center-line of the holder.

An ordinary standard metal machine screw 48 has the lower portion of its shank depending in the recess 47, and on said screw is a nut 49, of fibre or the like, for spiral adjustment relative to the screw thereby for adjusting precisely the desired height of the head 48* of the screw relative to the level of the heating element 2|. When the screw and nut have been relatively adjusted as desired and the screw shank has been dropped into the recess 41, the top of the screw-head 48 will positively hold the inserted bottle (as the bottle IS) with its bottom at a definite distance from the heating element, either directly opposite the latter or at a selected higher or lower level above the same. Thus a simple, practical and strikingly inexpensive means is provided for predetermining nicely as desired the bubbling action inside the bottle, otherwise than by varying the electrical action.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be 6 understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A display device comprising a holder of dielectric material for a tube-like bottle containing a material bubblable when heated, said holder incorporating a hollow body having at its top a seat for the lower portion of such bottle, said body having a chamber therein and said seat having an open top and an open bottom, the open seat bottom being at the top of the chamber, a resistance element mounted in said chamber and adapted to be heated when an electric current is passed therethrough, said body having a reduced depending base externally shaped for insertion into and removable securement in an appropriately shaped current supplying socket, and electrically conductive means including a pair of terminals on said base and a pair of conductive members one connecting one of said terminals and one end of said element and the other connecting the other of said terminals and the other end of said element, there being an adjustable means in said chamber including a member having a top portion settable at different hei hts thereby to form a stop for engaging the bottom of said bottle when the latter is inserted in said seat and so for predetermining the rate of bubbling when said element is energized with the bottle bottom engaging said stop.

2. A display device comprising a holder of dielectric material for a tube-like bottle containing a material bubblable when heated, said holder incorporating a hollow body having at its top a seat for the lower portion of such bottle, said body havin a chamber therein and said seat having an open top and an open bottom, the open seat bottom being at the top of the chamber, a resistance element mounted in said chamber and adapted to be heated when an electric current is passed therethrough, said body having a reduced depending base externally shaped for insertion into and removable securement in an appropriately shaped current supplying socket, and electrically conductive means including a pair of terminals on said base and a pair of conductive members one connecting one of said terminals and one end of said element and the other connecting the other of said terminals and the other end of said element, there being an adjustable means in said chamber including a member having a top portion settable at different heights thereby to form a stop for engaging the bottom of said bottle when the latter is inserted in said seat and so for predetermining the rate of bubbling when said element is energized with the bottle bottom engaging said stop, the lastnamed means including two parts one spirally adjustable relative to the other.

3. A display device for use with an electric lamp socket of standard construction, comprising a hollow body of dielectric material and having at its top a seat for the lower portion of a bottle. a bottle containing a. liquid which bubbles when heated having its bottom portion engaged in said seat, a chamber within the bottom of said body in communication with said seat, an electric heating element within said chamber, said body having its bottom portion beneath said 7 chamber shaped to be screwed into the lamp socket and carrying electrical contacts connected with said heating element and mounted to make electrical contact with the contacts of the lamp socket to energize the heating element to supply the heat required to bubble the liquid of said bottle, and a bolt having the free end of its shank depended into a recess formed in said bottom portion, and a nut threadedly engaged on said bolt intermediate of its ends and resting on the bottom wall of said chamber for holding said bolt in desired vertically adjusted positions to provide a stop strap member upon which the bottom of said bottle can be rested holding said bottle in a desired adjusted position relative to said heating element to vary the rate of bubbling.

ANTHONY TISCIONL.

8 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

